Prisoners Defenders launches platform documenting Cuban medical mission abuses

Prisoners Defenders and Consorcio Justicia have launched the ‘Cuban Medical Brigades’ digital platform, a comprehensive database documenting alleged labor exploitation and human rights violations within Cuba’s international medical missions. The platform compiles 209 reports covering 60 countries, utilizing 1,402 testimonies from medical professionals to detail practices such as wage confiscation, surveillance, and family separation.

The investigation identifies 53 active missions through June 2026, involving an estimated 25,724 professionals. Venezuela hosts the largest number of workers at approximately 13,000, followed by Mexico (3,849), Angola (3,000), and Algeria (955). The reports also note that 9,646 professionals have been classified as ‘deserters’ after leaving missions or refusing to return to Cuba.

While the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has previously denounced structural violations of labor and mobility rights, it also acknowledged the essential role these health workers play in providing services to vulnerable populations. However, the new platform characterizes the system as a mechanism for illegal income through what it describes as modern slavery.